The State Department has approved an arms sale to Israel for 18 CH-53K heavy-lift cargo helicopters worth an estimated $3.4 billion. The deal also includes equipment for the helicopters such as engines, GPS systems, communication equipment, and .50 caliber machine guns.
The primary contractors for the deal are Lockheed Martin and General Electric. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the sale will “improve the Israeli Air Force’s capability to transport armored vehicles, personnel, and equipment to support distributed operations.”
This arms sale is the first for Israel since the Bidena administration approved a $735 million deal for precision-guided missile equipment that stirred some controversy because it was pushed through during Israel’s latest bombing campaign in Gaza. Israel’s bombardment in May killed over 250 Palestinians, including over 60 children.
While there was some scrutiny in Congress of the timing of the $735 million deal, there was no real effort to block it. The State Department’s approval of the helicopter sale starts the congressional review period, but there’s little chance any US lawmakers would try to stop the sale.
Of the $3.8 billion that the US gives to Israel in military aid each year, $3.3 billion is under the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program. FMF funds are given to countries to use to buy military equipment and services from US companies and are essentially subsidies for the arms industry.
Don’t be naive, the USA never SELLS weapons to Israel …it gives them Free of charge !!
Billions$ every year since 1948 !!
Yes, it’s a bit misleading isn’t it
There was virtually NO US arms sold to Israel until 1968, while LBJ was president, and these paled in comparison to what the soviets handed out to their allies.
GIVING THEM ARMS PRIOR TO 1968, happy now?
you make absolutely no sense. By the way, the US embargoed arms to Israel when the country was created.
as though the US honors embargo’s you’re hilarious!
Sorry. I made a mistake..since 1948 Israhell received from the US Taxpayers TRILLIONS of US Dollars, not Billions !!
That’s an interesting accounting problem.
Directly, not even close. At the current rate of $3.8 billion per year, Israel would have had to exist for 263 years to have received $1 trillion. It’s only existed for 73 years.
Indirectly (e.g. fighting their chosen wars for them, etc.), there’s a good case for the number being much, much higher than even the current $3.8 billion in direct aid. But probably still not trillions.
did you forget about all the “loans” that have been forgiven that no one ever intended to repay? or how about the black budget funding? or how about all the FREE arms that have been provided (even prior to 1948)?
If you have evidence of black budget funding for Israel,present it, or else be silent.
silent? have you never heard of the black budget? go defend israeli parasites elsewhere, it’s not going to work with me,.
I didn’t “forget” about anything in particular. I just pointed out that the math doesn’t point to “trillions,” at least in direct aid/loans/payments.
how does the black budget math “that we’ll never know the amounts of” not equate to trillions?
Amounts that we don’t know don’t equate to anything.
WE KNOW THERE IS A BLACK BUDGET!
And we don’t know how big it is, or how much of its spending could realistically be ascribed to Israel.
I get it. You waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaant it to be trillions, so it must be trillions.
In the real world, not knowing is not knowing.
we do know its big!
This is what neo-cons call win-win: 1. help Israel slaughter more Palestinians and 2. shove more money into pockets of Lockheed shareholders.
And Boeing, and Ratheon, and…………………………….
Business as usual.
“SELLS”? No country sells to Israel. All countries GIVE to Israel no matter how these “sales” are disguised. “loans” which are changed to grants after the “sale” is forgotten. Equipment ordered by militaries , then declared surplus and given to Israel. Many other scams are used as well.
British Centurions and french Mirages which were used in the 1967 war were paid for.
By British and French governments borrowing from their Rothschild central banks and leaving the interest payments to their taxpayers
Ah, the Rothchild banks-HA HA HA! These Weapons were paid for-sorry to disappoint you.
Look for the “loan” to be paid out of the $3.8 billion + $2.3 million we just gave Israel, or, to be forgiven in a piece of legislation.
No surprise from Zionist Biden, who pretends he cares about Muslims in China but helps destroy the Palestinians killed by his “ally”, Israel.
sale? – that term desrcibes an exchange of money for goods —-the proper term for this exchange is “gift”
Sale? Is that what the giveaways are called? Technically, it is. US government guarantees a loan, military goods are purchased, government pays the loan as scheduled from the funds secured as guarantees. Everybody profits — arms industry, banks getting interest on the loan, and Israel the arms. Taxpayer foots the bills.
SALE?!?! REALLY, ITS A SALE!?!?! How precisely is it a sale, they’re “buying*” helicopter with money STOLEN FROM US CITIZENS
This is utterly obscene! Congress continues to ignore its own laws.
What happened to the Leahy Law and the Symington Amendment???
Who is running our country? Is no one willing to stand up for the US of A?
The Leahy Law and the Symington Amendment have NEVER been applied to US arms sales. That would cut off the profits of our Congressmen’s donors.
I thought it was illegal to sell weapons to a government that uses them to kill and subjugate their people? Or are Palestinians in Gaza not under Israeli control?